(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - March 30, 2018) - - - Columbia State Community College's Beta Kappa Theta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa was recently recognized as a 2018 REACH Chapter, which is an award that recognizes chapters that excel in membership development.

"Last year's chapter officer team extended a challenge to this year's team to build upon their success and meet the benchmark necessary for a REACH award," said Mandy Carter-Lowe, Columbia State associate professor of biology and PTK adviser. "They not only met the challenge, but surpassed the goal. I think a contributing factor to their success was their careful attention to have a visible PTK presence on all five Columbia State campuses."

The REACH awards are focused on recognizing excellence in acceptance and completion with honors. Awarded chapters have achieved or exceeded 15 percent for their membership acceptance rate. Columbia State's membership acceptance rate was 16.5 percent for the calendar year, which surpasses the 13.9 percent acceptance rate for the region, the 15.3 percent acceptance rate for the division and the 13.2 international acceptance rate. Membership is offered to students who have completed at least 12 hours at Columbia State and have a 3.5 GPA or better.

"This is another award that demonstrates the quality of our students and the support they receive from our faculty," said Dr. Janet F. Smith, Columbia State president.

The Columbia State Beta Kappa Theta Chapter will be recognized at the 2018 Catalyst convention in April in Kansas City, Missouri, and will receive PTK graduation stoles.

Phi Theta Kappa is an international honors society for two-year schools. Columbia State's chapter, Beta Kappa Theta, was chartered in 2000 and has since grown to become a Five-Star Chapter. Membership into Phi Theta Kappa is limited to roughly the top 10 percent of students based on academic achievements. For more information about PTK, please visit www.ptk.org.

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